Vehicle-wheel.



N. G. LONG.

VEHIGLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.9, 1907.

Patented Feb 9 Witnesses Wzmg 62m 1 NATHANIEL G. LONG, OF ELBERTON,GEORGIA.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

Application filed September 9, 1907. Serial No. 391,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL G. Lone, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Elberton, in the county of Elbert and State ofGeorgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Wheels, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wheels designed for use on self-propellingvehicles, horsedrawn vehicles of various types, locomotives, bicycles,and the like, and relates more articularly to wheels of that class in Wich springs are employed for absorbing the shocks incident to thevehicle passing over obstructions and inequalities in the surface of theroad, street, track or the like.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify theconstruction of devices of the character referred to so as to becomparatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, composed of fewparts, and highly efficient and reliable in use.

A further object of theinvention is. the provision of a wheel providedwith a novel arrangement of yieldingmembers that cushion the shocksimparted to the Wheel.

A further object is to provide a wheel having a circumferential groovein which are arranged overlapping yielding members or springs whichoperate to insure smooth run ning of the vehicle and to prevent thetransmission of shocks and jolts to the body of the vehicle.

A still further object resides in the features of construction of thenature referred to, in connection with a solid rubber tire encirclingthe yielding members for increasing the resiliency or cushioning effectof the wheels.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the descriptionproceeds,'the invention comprises the various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully describedhereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appendedhereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one of the embodiments ofthe invention, Figure 1 is an edgeview of the wheel. Fig. 2 is a centralsection taken parallel with the axis of the wheel. Fig. 3 is a partialcentral section taken transversely to the axis of the wheel. Fig. 4 is afragmentary sectional view showing two adjacent yielding members. Fig. 5is a detail perspective view of two adj acent yielding members. Fig. 6is a similar view of a modified form. Fig. 7 is a detail view showingthe adaptation of a rubber tire to the wheel. Fig. 8 is a similar viewshowing the springs or yielding members rotruding beyond the peripheralsurface of t e felly of the wheel. Figs. 9 and 10 are fragmentaryperspective views of modified forms of tread members or cushioningdevices for permitting one member to slide upon another and preventingrelative lateral movement. 7

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the body of the wheel which maybe of annular form, as shown, and of any desired shape and size, andconstructed of any suitable material. In the periphery of the wheel is acentral groove 1 that has sloping sides 2 and a bottom 3 that is formedwith steps or serrations 3 that have approximately tangential faces 4.The cylindrical portions 5 of the Wheelbody A provide substantialbearing faces at the folly of the wheel. The center of the body A isrovided with an opening 6 for receiving a ub of any approvedconstruction and this opening may be provided with longitudinallyextending grooves 7 for receiving correspondingly shaped tongues on thehub,

whereby the body and hub Will be locked together for rotation.

Disposed within the groove 1 are cushioning devices extending entirelyaround the Wheel and designated generally by B. In the present instance,these devices comprise pieces of comparatively stiff spring metal suchas steel and of band stock. Each piece or member 8 has a flat portion 9presented to one of the surfaces 4 m the bottom of the groove 1, and onthe outer end of such surface, the member 8 is curved and lies inproximity to the periphery of the wheel, the convex side being disposedoutermost. The members 8 are arranged in overlapping relation and thefree end of any one terminates adjacent the middle of the next memberunderlying the same so that the juxtaposed members are arranged incontact and the pressure on one is distributed to the adjacent ones. Inthis manner, no spring is subjected alone to the entire weight sustainedby the wheel, and the pressure is distributed to a plurality of springs.The inner ends of the members 8 are provided with apertures 10, as shownin Fig. 4, for the reception of bolts 11 that pass through radiallyextending passages 12 in the body A, whereby the springs are firmly heldagainst the flat surfaces 4. Each pair of bolts for the members 8 areconnected together by a head-piece 13 that bears on the top side of therespective member 8, and on the inner ends of the bolts are nuts 14 thatscrew down tightly against the internal surface of the opening 6 in thebody A. The free ends of the members 8 may be, and preferably are, tiedto the intermediate portion of each adjacent underlying member, and forthis purpose, the extremities are provided with longitudinal slots 15,and a slot 16 is provided at an intermediate point and the terminal andintermediate slots of two adjacent members are adapted to register, anddisposed in the slots are bolts 17 for slidably and flexibly connectingthe members together. The yielding members 8 may be of flat crosssection, as shown in Fig. 5, or of curved cross section, as shown inFig. 6.

A wheel of the construction described lends itself for use with orwithout a rubber tire. When a rubber tire is employed, the yieldingmembers 8 are so designed as to lie below the periphery of the body A,so that the inclined surfaces 2 of the groove 1 will serve to maintainthe rubber tire in position on the wheels, as shown by dotted lines atC, Big. 7. in this construction, the resiliency of the tire and of themembers 8 cooperate to produce a smooth running wheel and one which willsuccessfully absorb shoclts. hen the wheel is not shod with the rubbertire, the members 8 are so designed as to project beyond the peripheryof the body A, as shown in Pig. 8 so as to provide suflicient play oryielding movement of the members 8 without the felly of the wheel comingin contact with the road.

It may be desirable in some instances to dispense with the bolts forsecuring adjacent tread members or cushioning devices together, and forthis purpose the free extremities of members B may be formed each with atongue 20 that is adapted to slide back and forth in a depression orgroove 21 in the outer surface of the adjacent nether member. Thispermits the members to slide back and forth on each other and asdesigned at the same time prevents relative lateral movement. Accordingto the construction shown in Fig. 10 the free extremities of the membersB are provided with clips that Slltlttifl engage over the middleportions of the adjacent members, these eiips being formed in thepresent instance by ears bent to engage the edges of the members 1).

shown in ig. 10.

From the foregoing description, lal cn in connection with the:u'eompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those sETiiled in theart to which the invention appertains, and while l have described theprincip e of operation of the invention, togeti u" with the apparatuswhich I now consider to be the best eml odiment thereof, I desire tohave it understood that the apparatus shown is merelyillustrative, andthat such changes may ire made when desired as are within the scope ofthe claims.

Having thus described tb \invention, what I claim is 1. In a wheel, thecombination of an annular body having a V-shaped groove, a plurality ofsprings rigidly secured at their ends to the bottom of the groove, andmeans for slida xily connecting the free ends of each spring to theintermediate portion of the adjacent spring, with a rubber tireextending around the body and bearing directly on the springs andentering the groove at opposite sides of the springs.

2. The combination of a body having an annular groove, a plurality ofsprings arranged in overlapping relation and having terminal andintermediate slots, means for securing the inner ends of the members inthe groove, and fastenings passing through the slots for yieldinglyconnecting the extremity of each spring to the intermediate portion ofthe adjacent spring.

3. In a wheel, the combination of an annular body provided with aperipheral groove, passages extending from the bottom of the groove tothe hub opening, a plurality of yielding members having bolt-receivingaperturcs at one end and longitudinal slols at the outer ends and atintermediate points, bolts passing through the apertures and saidpassages for securing the members to the body, the outer extremity ofeach member being arranged over an intermediate portion of thejuxtaposed member for bringing the inlermediate and terminal slots intoregister, fast en in s extending through the registering slots ofadjacent members, and means for attach ing the body to a hub.

4. In a wheel, the combination of an annular body, having a peripheralgroove formed with oppositelyinclined walls, resilient members securedin the periphery thereof and extending in the same general direction.and having their outer extremities spaced from the said inclined Walls,the extremities of on the said members and entering the groove eachmember terminating at a point interat opposite sides of the members. 1')mediate the end of the adjacent under mem- In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature her and adapted to slidably bear thereon, in presence oftWo Witnesses.

5 and means for preventing relative lateral NATHANIEL G. LONG,

movement of the free ends of the members, Witnesses: and a tireencircling the body and entirely F. S. MITCHELL.

covering the groove, said tire bearing directly S. L. DALLAs.

